Centrifugal air-compressor.



'l A @5MM S. A. MOSS.

- GENTRIFUGAL AIR COMPRESSOR'.

APPLIoATIoN FILED 11116.17, 1910.

1,1 19,713, y Patented Dec.1,1914.

i Il Witnesses:

Y *Etty tion.

a saafrs rar Treasures.

,CENTRFUGAL AIR-COMPRESSOR.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented nee. nieta..

Appiicatioa filed august i7, ieio. seriai No.f577,e27.

To @ZZ 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, SANFORD A. Moss, a citizen of `the United States, residing at Lynn, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal Air-Compres sors, of which the following is a specifica- This invention relates to air compressors wherein the airA discharged by a rapidly rotating iinpeller is received by an annular de vice that in turn discharges the air into the scroll pipe or other part of the compressor casing. As theair leaves the iiiipeller it has some pressure due to centrifugal force and' also a Vrelatively high velocity. The function of the annular discharging device is to convert the velocity of the air into pressure which is added to that due to centrifugal force. To Vfacilitate this action the said device is provided with 'a plurality of vanes or partitions between which are passages that y diverge' from their receiving to their discharge ends. The amount of this divergence as well as the shape has 4a direct and important bearing on the conversion of velocity, into pressure and hence on the output and efficiency of the machine.' The passages must be great .enough in cross-section to handle the fluid without choking', and must also diverge or enlarge by such an amount that the Huid, on reaching the point of d ischarge, will have lost substantially all its velocity. .This requires accurate work both in designing and in the structure itself if the best results are to be attained. The problem presented then, is to provide an annular discharging` device for a compressor that is capable of being accurately made by ordinary machine shop methods, and by workmen of ordinary skill. Further, the cost of the device must b e reasonable as regards the balance 'of the apparatus, It is unsatisfactory to cast said device with coied passages since the latter must be of exact shape and have quite smooth surfaces in order to avoid losses from friction and eddies in the air;

to secure sheet metal vanes by cast-jointing them with the side walls of the device. Moreover, the aboye mentioned arrangements have the disadvantage that if one vane is loose or injured the whole device is generally ruined. To make the entire device out of sheet metal involves therisk' of fait ing to obtain suticient rigidity. By reason of my invention as set` forth more fully hereinafter, I utilize the smooth and easily mede OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR .TO GENERAL 'ELECTRIC i COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

sheet metal vanes and rigid cast metal walls,

the wholebeng secured by simple mechanical fastenings which can be quickly assem bled, and which permit of the substitution of one or more vanes in case of injury with out disturbing the others.

In the accompanying drawing that illustrates one of the embodiments of my invention, Figure l is an elevation of a portion of a centrifugal air compressor, partly in see 70 tion; Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. l; Fig. 4 is a section show" ing a'fastening plug on a large scale, and

lig. 5 is a perspective view of a fastening lug. Y

The impeller is mountedon a shaft l and revolves in a casing 2. It has blades 3 of any desired form which impart velocity to the air cand a certain amount of pressure due to centrifugal force. The air discharged by the impeller is received by a stationary and annular discharging device from which it passes to the outer collecting chamber 4 for delivery through a suitable conduit.

The annular discharging device comprises two rings or walls 5, preferably, but not necessarily parallel andl extending perpendicular to the shaft. These rings are seated on shoulders 6 formed in the casing or in some other stationary part and secured if desired by the screws 7 Between the adjacent' faces of the rings or walls are located sheet metal vanes that` are slightly curved from end to end and are arranged to overlap, thereby forming a series of outwardly extending 'approximately tangential pas-v sageways whose cross-section gradually enlarges from their inlet to their discharge ends. It is to be noted that the edges of from all projections forsecuring the, same to a support.- As a result .of this the sheet" tlies'e varies are preferably smooth, z'. e. Afree will be small. In order to secure these venes accurately in place, I drill a row of holes through the rings or walls 5 and insert in I each hole a plug 9 having its inner vend preferably tapered and provided with a transttl m3 les:

`verse slot l() adopted to receive the edge of evene 8. rlhe plugs ere preferably cylindrical so that they een be rotated or ed# josted in their holes to bring the slots in line `with the venes as said plugs are pushed in. Tvli'hen in place the plugs are secured preferably by riveting down the adjacent ma .erisl of the well 5; the outer end oi the plug being` prefer: bly chemiered at ll. to give o. better hold. lhese plugs hold the venes against movement transverse to their normal plane and to a limited extent against longitudinal inovement depending largely upon the tightness of the lit between the walls of the slot and the vene itself. v

rlhe venes een be slid through the slotted ends oli the plugs to adjust there to the proper position, und. when located they can be secured or encliored by o, rivet l?) passing through 'sono end' through e cross-bar 13 secured in the rings or Wells 5, preferably by having cylindrical. ends lll located in holes in the opposite 'Wells and riveted dov/n to hold. said ber in place. The rivets l2 ere locnted neer the ends of the venes so that they are accessible. cross-bers 13 ere located o. point Where they have little if any el'ect on the oir currents leaving seid discharging device it located et the inner ends or' the venes they would be relatively inaccessible end would interfere to o. greater or `less extent, depending upon their ersct position7 with the tree pcssege of sir and the function of said The rivet l?, and the cross-ber 13 in addition to forming en enclior to pre. vent longitudinal displacement olf the vane, serve to accurately locate the inner or sir receiving end of eech vene;

As will be seen the structure is simple,

the, ports being easily inode sind assembled. The smooth sheet instel venes con be occurotely shaped in dies und are held rigidly in piece, eiordinp; air passages oit suitable of proper cross-section end shape u out. The inner ends of the plugs owing to their shape end size offer practically no obstruction to the sir currents. rings or Wells have smooth dat surfaces andren readily be machined, es on e boring" mill for example.

The inlet ends of the pssseges between the viii/ies should be of suflicient er 'ss-secs tional ores to receive the fluid from. the peller without choking snc should enlarge suilcientl toiverd their discharge ends to gradually reduce the velocity oit toe' iiuid to e negligible amount.

l have referred to oir the iiuid be compressed but obviously the compressor can be employed for other fluids ln accordance 'with' the provisions oil' potent statutes, l lieve described the prinetion ofiny invention, together ciple olf oper with the eppsretns which. l. new consider to represent the best embodiment thereor; [out l desire to have it understood that the apps, retos shown is only illustrative, and that the invention csn'be carried out by other ineens.

Vvlist .l claim es new' and desire to secure by Letters Potent ol the United States, is,-

il fluid disch-erging device comprising s pair or parallel annuler stationery Wells with tangential overlapping sheet metal venes located between them, the passages between seid venes gradually increasing in crosssectionol eres .trom end to end, end ineens extending through sind anchored in the wells that engage the edges of seid venes..

i2. fi. fluid discharging device comprisin peir oit simuler stationery Wells provide ivi. li. rows oit` holes, overlapping sheet motel venes located between the Wells, end plugs tiret ere locsted in the holes end engage the edges olf the venes. Y y

3. fluid discherging device for e centrifugal cir compressor, consisting oi par :iliel rigid metal wells provided with rows of holes, plugs in' seid holes hei/ing slotted inner ends, end sheet metal partitions lievin@r their edges engaged in said slots Ll. A fluiddischarging device for s, centrirugel air pump consisting oi' parallel rigid metal Wells provided with rows oit holes.l plugs rotatable .in seid holes ,and each having o tapering inner end oonteining e transverse slot, and sheet metal partitions having their edges engaged in seid slots.

5. fr fluid discharging device for s cen trifugel sir pump consisting of parallel ri gid metal wells provided with rows of holes, plugs rotatable in seid holes and each ham ing e toperin inner end containing e.. transverse slot, :in sheet inetsl partitions havin their edges engaged in said slots, the niets of seid walls being riveted down over the outer ends oi seid plugs.

.er duid discharging device for e centri'tugsl oir compressor, consisting of per sllel rigid metal Wells Aprovided -with rows ol' holes, plugs seid holes having slotted inner ends, sheet nietslrV partitions having their engcged'in seid slots, end cross bers secured to said Wells end to seid porr titions.

7. A. lluid discharging' device comprising pair of rings, e, casing having shoulders that enige and support the ring et its bore, curved overlapping sheet metal venes locri/ted between the rings Whose edges are in contact therewith and `torno passages, e plul of devices located on euch side olf escli one which receive and hold said vene edges, end ineens for snchoring the l' agonist longitudinal movement.

8. A :tluid discharging device comprising psir of annuler stzitionor Walls, rows of members csrried by and projecting inwardly from the walls, each member having` a slot therein7 and overlapping sheet metal vanes located between the. lwalls with their edges engaging in said slots.

9. A fluid discharging device comprising a pair of annular stationary walls, tengen tial overlapping sheet metal Yanes located between them, rows of n'iembers carried by and projectinginwardly from the walls which engage the opposite edges of the vanes to hold the same against transverse movement but which permit of longitudinal movement, and means at one point only for anchoring the vanes against longitudinal movement.

10. A fluid discharging device comprising a. pair of annular stationary walls, rows of members carried by and projecting inwardl)y from the walls, each member having a slot therein, overlapping sheet metal vanes located between the walls with their edges engaging in. said slots, and means at one point only for anchoring the vanes against longitudinal movement. 4

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of August, 1910.

SANFORD A. MOSS. Witnesses: v

FRANK G. HATTIE, CHARLnsiA. BARNARD. 

